A U.S campaign is hoping to change people’s attitudes towards female sports journalists. The video shows what happens when male sports fans read the real online comments and tweets made about women sports reporters, the twist is the men are saying these horrendous things right to the reporter’s face.
The piece was conceived by Just Not Sports, filmed and edited by a Chicago-based production company One Tree Forest Films and directed by Chad Cooper. The two women in the video are respected female sports journalists Sarah Spain and Julie DiCaro; Spain is an espnW.com columnist, ESPN Radio host and Sports Center Reporter for ESPN and DiCaro is a WSCR Sports Radio Anchor and columnist at Sports Illustrated’s The Cauldron.
In a blog post about the campaign Just Not Sports said: “In reading the statements out loud to women journalists, guys are forced to experience, sometimes for the first time, the shocking online harassment happening to women in sports day in, day out. It serves as proof most sports fans would NEVER say these things to another person – so we shouldn’t type this garbage, either.”
Just Not Sports also launched a dedicated podcast about online harassment with featuring DiCaro & Sports on Earth’s Andrea Hangst. Click here to listen bit.ly/1WR5evU
Warning the video is disturbing:
People are encouraged to share the video with hashtag #MoreThanMean to raise awareness about online harassment of women sports reporters.
This isn’t just an American issue, Aussies weighed in if cricketer Chris Gayle’s was being sexist when he asked out (then) Network Ten sports reporter Mel McLaughlin for a drink during an interview.
